The Vourdalak: A Mysterious Encounter in the Forest

The Vourdalak (2024)

Directed by Adrien Beau

Written by Adrien Beau, Hadrian Bouvier, and Aleksei Tolstoy

Lost in a hostile forest, the Marquis d’Urfe, a noble emissary of the King of France, finds refuge in the house of a strange family. (IMDB)

Lost in a forest, the powder-faced Marquis, Jacque (Kacey Mottet Klein) is terrified, alone, and out of his depth. In need of a horse and supplies to get him back to France, he is directed to the house of a local man, Gorcha, who is said to be hospitable and will help him on his way. Searching for the house, Jacque bumps into Piotr (Vassili Schneider), Gorcha’s grandson and, after some initial misunderstanding, Piotr agrees to take Jacques with him. Piotr is dressed in a feminine fashion, which confuses Jacques (funny considering his own flamboyant attire) and suggests to him that things are a little weird round here – at least by his own standards. With no other option, Jacques has no choice but to follow Piotr home.

And home is just as confusing for Jacque.

He meets Piotr’s sister Sdenka (Ariane Labed), an enigmatic source of attraction for Jacques who is cold towards him, having had her heartbroken by another in the past. Piotr’s mother, Anja (Clare Duburcq) a timid, busy housewife who fusses around his brother, Vlad (Gabriel Pavie). As Jacques tries to settle into his short-term shelter, Jegor (Grégoire Colin), the patriarch comes home. He is a big man, a leader, gruff and angry and holds power over the rest of the house. Gorcha (voiced by Adrien Beau), the grandfather of the house is absent, having ventured after some Turk bandits who have been causing trouble locally.

More mysteriously, Gorcha left a note for his family explaining where he had gone but imploring them to forget about him if not back by a certain day. The note goes on to warn them not to let Gorcha into the house after that date, lest they invite in the Vourdalak. Sdenka explains to Jacques that legends tell of the Vourdalak, a vampire-like creature that feeds on its family until they are all gone. But when Gorcha does return, weak and skeletal in appearance, Jegor’s duty as his son overwhelms him and he takes his father in, despite protestation from the others. Gorcha may look close to death, but her is clearly the real head of the household.

And, of course, not long after his return, the mysterious deaths begin. Or maybe not so mysterious considering the legends…

The Vourdalak is a curious mixture of vampires, period drama and puppetry, inspired by a short story from Tolstoy; a combination I am not sure I have seen crop up all that often! There are also elements of comedy weaved into the ‘naïve outsider’ narrative around Jacques. He is clearly a fish out of water, stranded in a place and with people he would not normally be seen dead with. His arrogance and entitlement as a member of the French aristocracy shows out through his advances on Sdenka, but this front is slowly eroded as he falls for the mysterious woman. Jacque then takes it upon himself to try and save her from the fate that awaits if she stays at home with the creature that was once her grandfather.

The Vourdalak in question is portrayed onscreen by a life-size puppet/marionette

I don’t know if there is a specific word to describe what is used in the film, but it is a suitably creepy character full of menace and unease. 

While a casual look at a few scenes where the Vourdalak appears might have some viewers laughing at its unnatural, Thunderbirds-esque movement, any ability to get beyond that reveals this to be a wise choice. The puppet is unpleasant and creepy and its unreal appearance and behaviour feeds into the mythology around the Vourdalak. After the initial amusement, the portrayal of the Vourdalak in this way ensures we are in for a surreal and creepy ride – quite literally in a later scene with Jacque and Gorcha.

There are definite undertones of social class and its effects on society, Jacques being the refined man of good stock, initially wary and even amused by the country-bumpkins that he stumbles across, only to eventually realise he is the outsider, and the locals are the smart ones. At least, that is, until they start dying in gruesome fashion.

Superstition, family ties, pig-headedness and fear all conspire to keep Jacque from his task and whether or not he or anyone survives is anyone’s guess.

I went into the Vourdalak without any knowledge (of the film, before anyone comments) other than the one sentence outline and am glad I did. Like Jacques, I wasn’t sure what I had stumbled across when the film started and it took me a little time to settle into it, but I am happy I stuck with it. Adrien Beau has delivered a curious and original horror that creeps you out and delights in equal measure. At times sensitive and gentle and at others spattered in gore, The Vourdalak does what you want with a vampire movie, fear and bloodletting – and there is enough of each here to keep most viewers happy.

The cast are all fantastic, each portraying their characters with their own curious behaviour; a group of people who are all weird, but who likely think they are the only sane one in the building.

At just 90 minutes, The Vourdalak is a refreshing take on vampire legends that doesn’t outstay its welcome assuming, that is, you are willing to invite it in.

The Vourdalak is streaming now from Blue Finch Films.